1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method of making a microscopic specimen used for pathological examinations, etc. and to a device for making the microscopic specimen, particularly to a method of taking up coverslips, one sheet at a time and a method of sealing a specimen on a slide with a coverslip which has been taken up under said method, as well as to a device for making a microscopic specimen using these methods.
2. Description of Prior Art
When pathological tests are done, for example at hospitals, etc., a number of test materials (test pieces to be examined) are made into the form of a specimen so that they can be observed with a microscope. While a microscopic specimen is normally made by attaching a piece of test material on a slide and covering the same with a coverslip, solvent for removing paraffin used in cutting the test material into small pieces or a sealing agent to seal the test material between the slide and the coverslip generally produce poisonous vaporous gas. Because of this, a device having at least its test material sealing process automated is used when a number of such microscopic specimens are to be prepared.
In such a device a conventional take out mechanism for coverslips, a transferring mechanism, and a sealing mechanism for test material are made in the following manner. The device is made of a mechanism in which slits with a thickness corresponding to the thickness of a coverslip, are provided at a wall surface of a receptacle for housing coverslips in a piled up state. To take out coverslips one by one from said slits, reciprocating movement of a plate piece having the same thickness as that of the coverslips is used or rotating movement of rollers frictionally contacting the coverslips is used. A transferring mechanism to place the coverslip taken out one by one on a vertically movable table stand and to transport the table stand to a prescribed position is also provided. The device also includes a sealing mechanism to discharge a liquid sealing and adhesive agent (hereinafter called as mountant) to seal and fix in place the test material from an upper direction onto a surface of said coverslip and means to then transfer a slide with the test material to be examined stuck thereon over to a position above said coverslip and for fixing the same. Thereafter the table stand with said coverslip placed thereon is moved in a vertical direction, thereby sealing and fixing the test material between said coverslip and said slide.
Since the take out mechanism for coverslips, the transfer mechanism and the test material fixing mechanism are so arranged as to be independent from each other in a conventional test material fixing mechanism explained above, it has a shortcoming that not only does the structure thereof becomes complicated but also an interrelating control between each mechanism becomes complicated.
Also as each of the mechanisms is examined, first the coverslip take out mechanism is a mechanism to push out the lower-most coverslip out of the number of coverslips piled up slidingly over a plane of the other coverslip (the coverslip piled up in direct contact with an upper surface of the coverslip being taken out), therefore in case the coverslips are tightly stuck to each other for example because of moisture, etc., it becomes impossible to take out the coverslip one by one due to a frictional force of said sticking, or if a trial is made to forcibly take out the same (if a trial is made to take out the same with greater power than the tightly stuck frictional force) such force may break the coverslip.
Also, a mechanism to seal the test material will inevitably move the slide or the coverslip in a direction so that they approach each other while being maintained parallel to each other when transferring the coverslip for sealing the test material. Therefore, it is unavoidable that air bubbles mix into the test material or in the neighbourhood of the same, and such air bubbles could cause an erroneous judgement in examining the test material. Also when the prepared specimen is to be retained in file for a long period of time, the sealed air bubbles could cause oxidation of the test material within the specimen, thus it is undesirable.
The present invention is made to solve the above-mentioned problems in the prior art, and it is the object of the present invention to obtain a test material fixing mechanism in which an important part of a take out mechanism of for coverslips can be used as a transfer mechanism and as a part of a test material sealing mechanism so that the mechanism is simplified and at the same time coverslips can be surely taken out one by one without damaging the same and a preparation of a microscopic specimen can be made without air bubbles being mixed in the test material or in the neighbourhood of the same.